NASA invites team from Gadsden State to test robotics project

Published: Tuesday, February 19, 2013 at 5:52 p.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, February 19, 2013 at 5:58 p.m.

What do a high school senior, a saxophonist, an Auburn University graduate with an aerospace engineering degree and a displaced worker from Piedmont have in common?

All four are students at Gadsden State Community College, pursuing degrees in electronic engineering technology. As a team, they recently submitted a robotics proposal to the Marshall Space Center in Huntsville with the hope of gaining an opportunity to see their project through to fruition.

Now, NASA officials have invited the team to the Johnson Space Flight Center in Houston to perform their tests.

The team of students led by Steven Martinez was chosen to participate in NASA's 2013 Reduced Gravity Education Flight Program, a partnership with the International Space Station National Lab.

They will assist in completing project work with their instructor/mentor, Audrey Webb, and Dr. Murray Darrach, from the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, on an experiment to study the behavior of organic solvents in water under zero gravity. The team has assignments to complete prior to flight week, which is scheduled for April 5-13, and will communicate with Darrach through phone, email and video conferencing.

“This ‘remote' internship with NASA is a very special and unique opportunity for our students,” said Gadsden State President Raymond Staats. “This is the first time a community college team has been offered this opportunity, and it will no doubt be a life-changing experience for our students.”

The team will be working with NASA to automate the experiment to run without human interface, and it then will be launched to the international Space Station.

Team leader Martinez is an Auburn aerospace engineering graduate from Attalla. He is joined by Jacob Lynch of Wellington, who plays saxophone in the Gadsden State Show Band; Josh Gaddy, early college enrollment student from Piedmont High School; and Johnathan Williams of Piedmont, a student who chose to retrain for a new career after his previous place of employment closed.

They all chose to study electronic engineering at Gadsden State because of their desire to make a difference in the ever changing and advancing world of technology.

“Our students consistently place in national competitions among community colleges and have now excelled in competing with university students across the nation in being honored with this opportunity by NASA,” said Tim Green, dean of technical education and workforce development. “I never cease to be impressed with the success of our students and the caliber of our instructors.”

While the team members are in Houston, they will perform their experiment to see how it will react in zero gravity aboard a DC9 that is specifically designed for a parabolic flight. Additional tests will be monitored and performed by professionals assisted by NASA crew members.

After the April flight is completed, the students will have an internship opportunity in Pasadena, Calif., working in the Jet Propulsion Lab on robotics that will be used in future space exploration.

<p>What do a high school senior, a saxophonist, an Auburn University graduate with an aerospace engineering degree and a displaced worker from Piedmont have in common?</p><p>All four are students at <a href="http://www.gadsdentimes.com/section/TOPIC0201/"><b>Gadsden State</b></a> Community College, pursuing degrees in electronic engineering technology. As a team, they recently submitted a robotics proposal to the Marshall Space Center in Huntsville with the hope of gaining an opportunity to see their project through to fruition.</p><p>Now, NASA officials have invited the team to the Johnson Space Flight Center in Houston to perform their tests.</p><p>The team of students led by Steven Martinez was chosen to participate in NASA's 2013 Reduced Gravity Education Flight Program, a partnership with the International Space Station National Lab.</p><p>They will assist in completing project work with their instructor/mentor, Audrey Webb, and Dr. Murray Darrach, from the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, on an experiment to study the behavior of organic solvents in water under zero gravity. The team has assignments to complete prior to flight week, which is scheduled for April 5-13, and will communicate with Darrach through phone, email and video conferencing. </p><p>“This 'remote' internship with NASA is a very special and unique opportunity for our students,” said Gadsden State President Raymond Staats. “This is the first time a community college team has been offered this opportunity, and it will no doubt be a life-changing experience for our students.”</p><p>The team will be working with NASA to automate the experiment to run without human interface, and it then will be launched to the international Space Station.</p><p>Team leader Martinez is an Auburn aerospace engineering graduate from Attalla. He is joined by Jacob Lynch of Wellington, who plays saxophone in the Gadsden State Show Band; Josh Gaddy, early college enrollment student from Piedmont High School; and Johnathan Williams of Piedmont, a student who chose to retrain for a new career after his previous place of employment closed.</p><p>They all chose to study electronic engineering at Gadsden State because of their desire to make a difference in the ever changing and advancing world of technology. </p><p>“Our students consistently place in national competitions among community colleges and have now excelled in competing with university students across the nation in being honored with this opportunity by NASA,” said Tim Green, dean of technical education and workforce development. “I never cease to be impressed with the success of our students and the caliber of our instructors.”</p><p>While the team members are in Houston, they will perform their experiment to see how it will react in zero gravity aboard a DC9 that is specifically designed for a parabolic flight. Additional tests will be monitored and performed by professionals assisted by NASA crew members.</p><p>After the April flight is completed, the students will have an internship opportunity in Pasadena, Calif., working in the Jet Propulsion Lab on robotics that will be used in future space exploration.</p>